POUGHKEEPSIE – Retired Dutchess County Court Judge Thomas Dolan died late Tuesday afternoon. He was 79.
Dolan served on the county court bench from 1993 to 2010. Prior to that, he worked in the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office from 1968 to 1973.
County Executive Marcus Molinaro mourned his death. “More than a credit to fairness and the rule of law, Tom was a credit to his community whose impact reached far beyond the bench and deep into the county in which he lived and served. Dutchess County is a richer community for having benefited from Tom’s service, and we extend our prayers to his loved ones and friends.”
Long-time friend Thomas O’Neill, a retired City of Poughkeepsie Court judge, said Dolan “is one of the finest individuals I have ever had the honor of knowing and calling a friend. The legal community and the Dutchess County community have lost a true American patriot.”
O’Neill said Dolan was “a giant in the courtroom, in his living room, and on his beloved Chazy River.”